Love is a Myth
by What About Scout
Summary: Piper is hurt by a man who didn't truly love her, and hardens her heart to protect it. And when one more man comes into her life, she turns away from him. Can he show her the meaning of true love? (genre will change again)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay, I'm gonna try to start a new story. This one is a western, based a long time ago when the US was still a fairly new country (only like sixty years old). I love those times (the times movies like Open Range are based on) and finally came up with a way to write about it. R&R. Hope you enjoy!**

_()Set in 1832. Piper is a twenty-five-year-old cowgirl who has always lived for herself. She grew up in a family that she was not kin to, and grew to be a beautiful woman. Men were after her hand in marriage, and when she finally fell for one, she was hurt by him more than she knew was possible. When she was able to love again, she was again used and dropped. After a third try and a third fail, Piper came up with an answer to why this was happening to her: Men wanted her for her ranch. The one she inherited from her father. For the money that it brought her. They didn't want her for who she was. So she protected her heart. She hardened it. And no matter how much men wanted her, whether or not they seemed sincere, Piper turned them down. She knew that was the only way she could protect herself. And when a man comes into her life who seems to have had it as hard as she did, she turns away yet again. But he persists and shows her for the first time what true love can really do to a person...()_

"Piper, grab that bucket, will ya?" Jack's voice came to Piper and broke her out of her daydream. He noticed the dazed look on her face when she stared at him. "What's on yer mind, girl?"

Piper shook her head. "Nothing."

"Piper, I know you better than that," Jack persisted.

It was true, he did know her well. Her mother died when she was three, and her father left not six months later. He left her with close friends of her mothers, Joanne and Jack Armstrong. The couple had a son and two daughters, Jacob, Prudence, and Phoebe. Jacob knew that he was not related to the girl that was somewhat of a sister to him, but was protective of her, and always there for her, though they were constantly teasing each other or fist fighting. Prue and Phoebe were Piper's best friends. Prue was three years older than her, and Phoebe was two years younger. Of course, though Jo and Jack had raised Piper since she was three, she never came to call them by anything but their names. Luckily, her father left her a farm--a big farm with two hundred fifty horses. Jack and Jo had taken care of the ranch until Piper was old enough to work on it, as well. The money went to the Armstrongs, but because Piper lived with them, she made just as much. The ranch was in her name, though, and that brought her pride, no matter how much she despised her father for leaving her.

"It's nothing."

"It's Daniel," Jacob said as he jogged past toward the two barns. Piper slapped at his arm as he went by.

"Is it?" Jack inquired.

Piper shook her head. "No."

"It is."

Piper sighed. "Yes, but it's nothing important."

"Piper, if you must see him, then by all means, go."

She stared at the man that fathered her since she was a toddler. "No," she said, looking at her boots. "I have to stay and work the ranch."

"Piper, go. He was by here when you were sleeping, anyway."

"Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"Because you were sleeping, duh," Jacob said as he ran back past them toward the house. This time, when he came back by, Piper cuffed him. He stumbled and she moved to kick him, but Jack held her back.

"Piper, just go. We can take care of the horses."

"No, it's my ranch. I have to work it, too."

"Well, he's also your future husband--"

"Is not!"

"--and the ranch can wait. Love can't." Jack pushed Piper toward the barn. She tripped a little, but caught her balance and ran for the barn Jacob had just gone back into.

She found the right stall and led her horse out. The fifteen-hand tall gray spotted Appaloosa named Spade threw her head as she was led by her rope halter. Piper quickly saddled her and was slipping the bridle over the mare's head when Jacob passed her, walking toward the end of the barn, where the doors were open at the time. He was leading two mares by ropes.

"Going off to see your husband?" he asked.

"He's not my husband!"

"Oh really?" Jacob stopped just behind Piper. "Well that's not what people are saying at the saloon."

"Wha--" Piper whipped around and shoved a balled fist into Jacob's side. She finished putting the bridle on her horse and jumped on, shooting out of the barn.

Daniel Gordon was at the saloon, talking to the man behind the counter. Lee Barlow, fifty-three-year-old with four grown children, was a nice enough man, though he, like every other father of young men in town, wanted one of his sons to marry Piper. But no one spoke of how much they wanted the young woman around Dan. He was possessive of her and everyone knew it. Truth be told, it did get on Piper's nerves, but she never complained or mentioned it.

Piper came through the doors and even those who weren't looking up knew it was her from the sound her boots made on the wooden floorboards. Her long coat whipped behind her from the gust of wind that came through the bar when she came through the doors. She'd pulled her hair back in one long braid, and wore her tan hat over it. Her white shirt only covered half of her stomach, and her dark tan pants hung low, so her belly button was clearly visible. She walked swiftly up to Dan, sitting on a stool at the bar.

"Hey," she said to him, sitting on a stool beside him.

"Hey."

"So when did you come by today?"

"Before you were up. Jacob said he'd tell you I was by."

"Mmm, Jack did, but... It doesn't matter. You need something?"

"I was just wondering where you were. I haven't seen you in three days."

"Oh, because--"

"Actually, there is something... Follow me."

Dan stood up and walked out of the saloon. Piper gave him a questioning look that he didn't see and followed. He climbed onto his bay quarter horse and Piper got onto Spade. She was named for a time Piper was playing poker outside with Jacob, and the little filly came right up behind Piper and ate her six of Spade. She followed Dan down the road out of town to Dan's house. He had five horses and a dog, and lived alone. Piper had been with him for seven months, but refused to move in. She had to live with the Armstrongs; that was where her ranch was. But it would be nearly impossible to get Dan to move in with her; the house was too crowded, and it was right for the woman to move in with the man, not vice versa.

They stopped in front of Dan's front porch and Piper watched him dismount. She jumped down from her horse only when he looked back at her. She followed him with curious eyes into the house. He turned around and took her hand as he led her to the back of the house and outside.

"Dan, if you wanted me back here--"

"Oh, come on."

Dan led Piper into the barn and to a stall. She looked into it and gasped. "Oh my God, Dan!"

"I know. I was gonna call someone for her, but I figured you were just as good."

"Yeah, and you know I won't leave you with a bill," Piper said, slipping into the stall. She knelt down in the straw to look at the mare, standing proudly, her belly still swollen. She examined the mare's two foals with her eyes, being sure to stay near the door and away from the three horses, standing in the far corner of the stall. "How'd she make it through twins?"

"Not twins, triplets."

Piper whirled around, standing up straight. The mare threw her head at her. "She should be dead."

"Well, the third filly is, but these two made it and so did Mom, so I figure that's a good thing."

"They're what, a week old?"

"Yeah."

"Which stallion?"

"The black one."

"They'll grow up to be wonderful horses, then, you know that? A perfect match. Look at them..."

The filly was a brown and white paint, like her mother. She had a white background and forehead, but along her stomach was a wave of brown, like swooping mountains. Her nose was brown and pink, and her ears were straight up and alert. One was brown, the other white. Her short mane and tail followed a pattern of a block of brown, a block of white. Her brother was all black like his father, and had a white star on his head in the shape of an upside-down raindrop, just like his mother.

"They're beautiful... Riding horses?"

"Maybe... I'm thinking I may sell them. Twins are expensive. I could sell them and get thirty horses."

"Dan!" Piper turned to look at him. "You can't sell them! They're perfect!"

"Fine, fine, I'll keep 'em." Dan held his hands up in surrender. "Maybe when they're grown you'll ride 'em."

"Are you kidding? Of course I will. You can't let horses like these go to waste. Look at that mare, she's still standing..."

Dan smiled. Well, then, since you're hear, wanna stay for dinner?"

"Dan, it's noon." Piper came out of the stall, sliding the door closed behind her.

"Okay, then come back."

Piper smiled. "Okay."

"I'll walk you out, then."

Piper walked around the house with Dan and to their horses. "I'll be back at sunset."

"Just before. We'll watch it."

"Okay." Piper smiled at Dan and kissed him before getting on her horse and riding away.

Piper rode up to her house and to the barn. She cleaned down Spade and put her in her stall before going back into the house. It was near sunset by then, and Jacob, Prue, and Phoebe were getting ready for dinner. Jacob came out of the bathroom and wiped his hands down on his pants. Prue slapped him with her washcloth and turned to check the food. Phoebe was setting the table.

"Hey, Piper! Where ya been?" Jacob asked.

"With her husband," Phoebe teased.

"Come over here and say that to my face," Piper warned.

Joanne came into the kitchen. "Oh, Piper, where have you been all day?"

"Riding."

"Dinner's almost ready, so--"

"Actually, I'm just here to change. I'm uh... going out."

"Going to see Dan, maybe?" Jacob asked, raising an eyebrow.

"As a matter of fact, yes."

Phoebe giggled.

"Hey, I think it's good that Piper's got something else to keep her busy. It's good for her."

"Thank you, Prue."

"And it keeps her away from here," Prue added.

"Ha... ha... ha..." Piper replied.

"Well hurry up, then," Jo said.

Piper rode her horse up to Dan's house and tied her to a hitching post. She stepped up onto the front porch and up to the door. She knocked on it softly. A few seconds passed before Dan opened it. Piper followed him into the dimly lit house. She sat on the couch and smiled at him when he handed her a drink.

"Mmm, no thanks. I gotta ride home," she said.

"No? Okay, fine, then follow me."

Dan walked outside to the hill behind his house and Piper followed. She sat down on a blanket he already had set out. He sat down beside her and she leaned against him to watch the sunset.

Just as the last bit of sun sunk into the horizon, Dan made his move. He shifted a little to make Piper sit up. She stared at him for a moment. "What is it?"

"Nothing, just..." Dan took a deep breath and took Piper's hand in his. "Marry me, Piper."

"What?"

"Marry me and we'll live together here and watch the sun set everyday."

Piper was stunned. She looked into Dan's eyes and smiled. "Yes, I will marry you. Of course I will."

**A/N: I know the aren't my spider things, but those are specially reserved for One Little Mistake only.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: This chapter is shorter, I know, but I've been forcing myself to write in Houses lately, but I keep coming up with nothing... I need ideas, people! Ideas! Give me something good and I'll write it! Email me your ideas or put em in reviews. At least I put chpt.12 up, though, so I got somethin to work off of...**

Piper walked in the house in a daze. She couldn't believe what she had agreed to. She saw it as the best decision of her life. How could she make a better one?

Prue caught something immediately when Piper came through the front door. Something was different. Not wrong, just... different.

"Piper?"

"Hmm?"

"What'd you do at Daniel's?"

"Yeah, Piper," Phoebe asked, coming into the room, "what'd you do at your husband's?"

"He's not my husband," Piper said calmly. "...Well, not... yet at least..." she added.

"Oh my God!" Prue had it connected already.

"Oh my God what?" Phoebe asked.

"Piper's getting married!"

Piper smiled shyly.

Piper was outside on Spade when Jacob found out. She was dreading the moment he did, too. He came running out on one of his three best horses, Blackjack.

"Why, hello, Mrs. Gordon," he said.

"Hello, Mr. Jackass," Piper returned.

The remark didn't stop him, though. "When is it? When is the wedding?"

"In two weeks."

"That doesn't give you much time to gloat about him asking."

"No, it gives me more time to gloat about being married."

Jacob stopped teasing for a moment. "You're moving out, then?"

Piper sighed. "I have to."

"Piper, your ranch is here. It belongs to you. What will happen if you leave?"

"Jacob? I'm moving two miles away. I will still be here everyday to care for the ranch."

"It won't be the same without you."

"Stop it, I'm hardly moving far at all."

"Still... What will Mom and Dad say?"

"Joanne and Jack already literally own the ranch. All I want is their blessing."

The wedding was small and at Piper's ranch, but she was perfectly happy with it. She was already moved in with Dan and was settled. They sat in the living room together on the chair.

"Piper?" Dan asked.

"Hmm?"

"What happens to your ranch?"

"What do you mean?"

"Now that we're married, does that mean that we have some sort of joint custody over it?"

"Yes, we do," Piper said. "Half the ranch, including the work that comes with it, is yours. And that means that half the income is, as well, but it doesn't change the income we get."

"Meaning..."

"Meaning whatever we get I split fifty/fifty with the Armstrongs. They care for the ranch, as well. So it just means the regular income is what we get."

"Oh."

"But don't worry, it's plenty of money."

Piper smiled and Dan smiled back.

Three months went by smoothly, and Piper couldn't have been happier. The twin horses grew quickly and were healthy as, well, horses, and Piper was going to start to train them soon. She was out most of the day at the ranch and came home with the sunset. It never did bother her that Dan rarely helped her at the ranch, because she had Prue, Phoebe, Jacob, Joanne, and Jack with her and between the six of them plus a few hired hands, they got the jobs done.

Dan was usually at a friend's ranch, watching herd of cattle daily. There were five people to watch the two hundred cattle, so he got home just before Piper, and left just after her.

Another three months went by with no arguments or problems. One thing was bothering Piper, though... Each time she brought home money from selling horses at the ranch, she put it in the local bank. But when she went to take some, there was less in there. She hadn't bought anything new, and neither had Dan, so she was curious, and questioned Dan the night of their six-month anniversary. They hadn't done anything special to mark it, so Piper had her head clear to think about the disappearing money.

"So, I went to the bank today to take out a bit of money for Prue and Phoebe--they're going away for a week, remember?--"

Dan nodded.

"And the money wasn't there... I know it sounds strange, but..."

"Well, I don't know what to tell ya, Piper... I haven't touched it, and neither have you."

"Right, so... You think maybe someone else is? Someone breakin' in?"

"I dunno. If it ain't hurtin' us too bad, it's probly' just best to ignore it."

"K..." Piper knew it sounded like a strange idea, but she decided to agree with Dan and leave it alone. He was right, though, it wasn't hurting them money wise, so they didn't need to worry. Still, it was unnerving to know that someone may have been taking the money from her. In times when people couldn't afford the items on the shelves of their own stores, having the money she did seemed to be a blessing. But she didn't question the issue any further and went to bed.

**A/N: Okay, in the next chapter, they fight... he he he... ::smiles evilly::**


	3. Chapter 3

When Piper went to the bank again a month later, there was no money there whatsoever, save for a few coins... She walked out onto the dirt road and looked around. People were going about their daily business, riding their horses through town on errands.

Where was her money?

That night, Piper questioned Prue and Phoebe. "Did you take any extra money out for your trip?"

"No, Piper, we didn't take any. Anything we would have taken we would have put back by now."

"And... No one took anything else?"

"No."

"Damn it, I had a hundred twenty-five dollars in there..."

"What, it's gone?"

"All of it." Piper sighed.

Piper went to the saloon the next afternoon. She sat on a stool, listening to the Smalltalk around her, the occasional laugh and grunt, the fight between two men ready to break out. Lee Barlow asked Piper what she wanted, but she turned him down. She didn't want a drink.

One of Lee's boys, Charlie, came up and sat beside Piper. "Heard 'bout yer money, Piper. Tough break."

"Nice try, Charlie, I'm married already."

"Ah, it's not that, I'm just simply... expressing my sympathy toward your situation."

"Thanks, but..." Piper had looked up and a loop on a leather bag caught her eye. As Charlie kept talking, she stood up and walked over to the bag, sitting on the other side of the bar table on a stool. She opened the bag and her eyes widened. "What the hell...?" Every last bit of her money--everything that was taken--was there. Everything. "Whose is this?" she demanded, whirled around.

No one looked up. They ignored her.

"_Whose is it_?" Piper yelled.

One man looked at Piper, then the bag. "Daniel Gordon's," he said.

Piper froze. She looked at the bag again. "Oh God..."

That night, as Piper got home, she noticed Dan was, too. She smiled to herself, but for different reasons than one would think. She put up her horse and went inside, holding the bag. Dan was asleep on the couch. Piper got about three feet away from him and threw the bag at his face as hard as she could. Dan woke up immediately.

"Piper, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"What do I--What do _you_ think you're doing?"

"What are you talking about?"

"My money, you cheat! You've been stealing it!"

"I haven't stolen a thing! It's my money, too!"

"So that's what this is about?" Piper asked. "You married me for my money?"

"Piper, just forget it."

"Dan…"

"I said forget it!"

"How can I forget how you _stole_ from me? I _worked_ for my money, and all you ever do is sit on your ass and stare at cattle!"

"Like you had no idea, Piper! You had to know that money was involved. No one with your kind of cash is _that_ naïve."

Piper stopped, suddenly cold. She felt a chill run through her and freeze her in place and time as if she were some statue on exhibit. She stared at Dan, at her husband. "So you did… You married me for… my money?"

When Dan nodded at her as if she were stupid, the life came back into Piper's body and mind. "_How could you be so greedy_?" she screamed. "You _stole_ from me! You stole what I worked for! My pride and my _life_! I gave _everything_ for you!"

"You gave nothing, so I just took what was rightfully mine!"

"Nothing? Dan, I left my home! I took these risks! I offered my entire life to you and you just turned me down now. How could you?" Piper's voice dropped.

"Because you're just that easy, Piper! You're just that easy."

Hot tears were already forming in her eyes as she shook her head. She snatched the bag full of her money with lightning speed and left.

Joanne opened her door and her eyes widened. "Piper, what--"

Tears had been running down Piper's face, but they were mixed in with water from the rain that had been falling as well ever since she left Daniel's. As soon as she had slammed the door, lightning had like up the sky, thunder had cracked, and the rain had poured down on her as if to wash away her pain. But what it had done was wash away her love. Her trust.

"Please… I just need to stay here… I can't go back there right now," she sobbed as thunder boomed above her.

**A/N: I felt that was painfully short, but it also seemed like a good place to stop... It was only one line short of being two pages long, but... I'll have the next chapter up shortly. It will include moreverbal fighting, some crying on Piper's part, and even a fist fight, if I'm good, which, if you'll excuse my ego inflation, I am...**

**I'll be back.**


	4. Chapter 4

Prue ran into Piper's room and shook her shoulders to wake her up. It was still dark, but she didn't bother to light a candle or a lantern.

"Prue, what's wrong?"

"Dan just left here with the money. All of it. Even what was in the safe."

"What?" Piper leapt up from her bed and threw on a shirt and pants. She followed Prue outside to see Dan riding away, Phoebe, Jacob, and Jack already following. She yelled at them to stop. "Get my horse."

Despite the darkness, Piper knew the way through town, and caught up to Dan before she even knew it. They were riding down the road threw the town, Piper leaning forward on her horse to make her go faster. She could see the bag, full, hanging from Daniel's hand. A few people came out of their houses, yelling at Piper and Dan to go to sleep like the rest of the town.

Piper didn't catch Dan that night.

But Daniel made a stupid move. Piper paid a visit to the saloon the next day to see if he had left anything there. She wasn't about to go to the sheriff and get the law involved. It was her problem, not the law's.

As soon as she walked into the saloon, her eyed narrowed onto one person. Still she walked quietly up to Dan, who was talking to the bartender. Lee stopped the conversation as he looked up at her slowly. Dan turned around on the stool as Piper's fist connected to his face.

"Where is it?" she demanded. "Where is my money? The Armstrong's money!"

"It's mine, Piper," Dan said calmly. "As you said, when we got married, it meant we shared the profits. You technically make that money, and because I'm married to you, I have the right to every cent of it."

"You have no _right_! You _never_ worked for any of it."

"I had every right!"

"Thief!"

As Dan opened his mouth to speak, Piper's fist met his jaw, nearly breaking it. He stumbled and she kicked him in the kneecap, making him fall to the floor. She jumped on him and pinned him, sitting with one knee on either side of his body. She held her hand high on his neck, preparing to choke him.

"Bring it back to the Armstrongs."

"Screw you."

She was through with him. That was it. She slammed the bottom of her fist into his nose and broke it. The bartender was standing up to watch the fight, as was everyone else.

"Bring it back personally."

Dan didn't answer.

Piper pulled out her gun and shoved the barrel under his jaw. "Bring it back! And bring your horse and the twins, too. Leave them on my front porch."

"Never, Piper."

Piper pushed the barrel further under Dan's jaw.

"Whoa, Piper, calm down there," Charlie said, reaching one hand out at her.

"Stay out!" Piper shouted, whipping around to point the gun at Charlie. That's when Dan sat up and was able to punch Piper in the side of the jaw, knocking her down from her knees to the floor. He struggled up.

"Never."

Dan headed for the door and Piper, from the ground, aimed from between her legs and at him. She fired and missed. He had already run out the door. She stood up and moved her jaw around, making sure it wasn't broken.

"Get the Sheriff." Piper ran out the door to see the Sheriff already there.

"What's the problem here, Miss?"

"I need you to put out a warrant for Daniel Gordon's arrest," Piper said simply.

"What for? Daniel is a good man. He watches my cattle for me when I need."

"He stole my money. All of it. More'n a hundred fifty, maybe two."

"Why, Dan Gordon couldn't hurt a fly."

"Maybe, not, but you see my busted lip? I didn't do that to myself! Now if you don't put a warrant out for that thief, you're gonna have t' put one out for my murderin' him."

"Now you can't go around killin' people over money, Piper, you know as much," Sheriff Weller said.

"If I don't get that money back, I go under. If I go under, I lose two hundred plus horses, and the Armstrongs go unemployed."

"They can find jobs."

"Not as good as I can give them! How is it fair to them? What will we do, let him get away?"

"You need proof, Piper. Evidence."

"I got statements! And witnesses!"

"Okay, then, now we've got something."

"No, Piper, I'm telling you, we've got nothing."

"What do you mean nothing?"

"I mean no one will speak against Dan. No one knows anything."

"The hell they don't! They knew it was stolen! They saw me… _us_ fighting in the saloon. How do they not know?"

"I'm sorry, Piper. I can't help you."

Piper stood on her front porch as the Sheriff rode away. She sighed. Someone walked up from behind her and a hand fell on her shoulder. She turned to see Joanne standing behind her.

Piper stared at the woman who had been her mother her entire life as the tears came down her face, slowly creeping out of her eyes and down her cheeks. Joanne reached out and grabbed Piper into a tight hug, silently telling her that everything would be okay and that they would all be fine, though the young woman knew she wasn't sure.

**A/N: I know you guys want Leo. I know, I really do. I wanna bring him in, too, but I gotta set up the playing field first, so it'll take a couple chapters. I'll skip some time in the next chapter, but there are some things I need to write before that. And when I bring Leo in (not if--when), you gotta keep in mind that Piper hates all men, so he's got his work cut out for him.  
  
****By the way, I know two hundred dollars sounds low for a high-profile ranch that's brinin' in the dough, but in 1832, that was mucho mula. It cost pennies to keep a horse in a boarding place for like five days back then, so keep that in mind. Fifteen hundred dollars was the most any outlaw was worth on WANTED posters, and that's the equivilant of buying a huge TV from Wal-Mart or Best Buy. Just a little perspective for ya...**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Here's a nice long (Well, kinda long, at least. I thought it was long!) chapter for you guys...**

()()()()()

Two weeks later, a man rode up on a horse and found Piper in the barn, brushing down Spade.

"Piper."

Piper whipped around. "Taylor… I'm sorry, I don't have your payment."

"Piper, you've never missed a payment."

"I know, but I have to wait until the next sale for money."

"When is that?"

"…A little more than half a year…"

"Piper, by then I'll have to take my land back."

John Taylor owned a third of the land Piper's horses were on, and she rented it from him. She paid him fifty dollars every month and a half to keep the land. If she didn't have the land, she would have to sell the horses. But no one was ready to buy, so they would go cheap and the money from selling them wouldn't last long enough to breed the leftover horses and prepare the foals to sell. Horses were as good a profit as cattle if you knew what you were doing, and Piper did. But not being able to make this one payment would screw everything up.

Then when another man came buy for his payment--he had built one of the barns for Piper--and she didn't have it, she may have to take the barn down. The man who built the barn seemed to be angry at the world and felt no remorse for tearing down a barn a client couldn't pay for.

Then she'd be short land, money, and shelter.

Great. Just great.

()()

Jacob found Piper sitting on her horse behind the house. There was a huge hill just in front of her, dropping to reveal a valley of grass and flowers, horses dotting the land, in groups and alone.

The sun was setting beneath the horizon, a giant orange glowing semicircle by now. Piper was watching it fall, tears silently making a path down her cheeks.

Jacob rode up beside her and looked at her. He couldn't believe that someone as strong as Piper could be reduced to so little. He was about to say something when Piper spoke, not looking at him.

"I loved him, Jacob… I loved him like the world… And he just…" She looked over at him. "How could someone do something like this?"

Jacob didn't respond. He wondered the same thing as Piper. How could someone fake love for so long and turn around and hurt a person as much as Dan did? Piper wasn't a naïve person, but he still took advantage of her. Dan hurt everything by doing what he did. He hurt Jacob's family, Piper's heart, her soul, her trust. Jacob thought for a moment before saying anything.

"…We can still get by. We just have to be careful."

"How do you know?"

"…I don't."

"I'll kill him."

"You can't, Piper."

"Says who?" Piper shot. "He took the money, and he has to pay."

"Crime bestows crime."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that in making him pay for his crime, you're committing a crime that you'll pay for. His crime is only giving you a reason to commit one, as well."

"I don't care."

"You should."

"I don't, Jacob! He took everything from me, and he has to pay!"

"So what are you going to do, Piper? Go over to his house and shoot him?"

"Yes."

"You'll go to jail. Be hanged."

"I'll be fine."

"You won't!"

"I can take care of myself!"

"Piper, you deal with Dan how you want, but you _cannot_ kill him."

()()

The next day, Piper combed the town, looking for Daniel Gordon. In one hand was Spade's reins, in the other was the double-barrel shotgun Piper had gotten the previous year. She thought about what Jacob had said. If she killed Dan, _would_ she be hanged? Did she have a good enough reason? Or should she just hurt him? Maybe scare him. If she only shot him, but didn't kill him, she wouldn't be hanged.

Right. She could shoot him. She couldn't kill him, but she could damn well shoot the bastard.

Piper walked into the saloon, her shotgun in one hand. "Anybody know where Dan Gordon is?" she shouted.

A man stood up, and by the way he did, Piper was intimidated by him. "I know where he is, but I ain't tellin' no woman."

The man wasn't old, but he wasn't Piper's age, either. He had a rough beard that needed to be shaved, an old cowboy hat, and spurs on his boots. His clothes were dirty, mostly brown and tan, and he had a few layers on.

"And who are you?" Piper demanded.

"That's none of your business. What do you want with Daniel Gordon?"

Piper shifted her hand to point the gun straight up, facing the ceiling of the saloon. "That's none of your business. You know where he is, and I need to know. It's as simple as that."

"Yeah, I know where he is, and you're not gonna. It's simple as _that_."

Before the man knew it, the shotgun was being pointed at him. "Tell me where he is," Piper demanded as quietly as she could.

Other men in the saloon were also standing up, ready to defend whoever they had to. The man held his ground, though.

Piper took a few steps forward, until the end of the barrel was pointed at his heart. "Tell me."

The man glared at Piper before answering. "He left town two hours ago."

"Which way?"

"I don't know."

"_Which way_?" she yelled, threatening to pull the trigger.

"West."

"Now… That wasn't too hard, was it?" Piper asked, lowering her gun. She left the saloon, jumped on her horse, and galloped down the road. A horse flew by her and she stopped suddenly. She knew that horse.

Whirling around in a circle, Piper made Spade run as fast as the horse could go, chasing after the man on the horse. She caught up to the horse and instantly recognized it. Without having to think twice, she pulled the shot gun out of the saddle with one hand. Still galloping at full speed, she let go of Spade's reins, trusting her horse. She steadied the gun with her other hand, aimed, and fired.

The bullet went right where she wanted it to; into the ground just in front of the horse's hooves. The horse stumbled and reared up. She lost her balance and fell over, taking the rider with her.

Piper stopped her horse and jumped to the ground. Dan was trapped under his horse. Just as the animal stood up and staggered away, Piper knelt down to the ground and straddled Dan by the stomach, sitting on her knees. She pushed the barrel of the shotgun into his mouth.

"If I pulled this trigger, I wouldn't have any more problems," she whispered.

Dan couldn't answer. He could barely even move.

Men and women were coming out of their shops and homes to watch the event, but no one dared to go near.

"But I won't. Because I need one more thing from you." Piper pulled the barrel out of his mouth. "Where's my money?"

"It's gone, Piper."

"Liar!" She punched him in the face. "_Where is it_?" she yelled.

A beautiful all-white mare stood outside a shop, seeming to be watching the fight. Problem was, she was caked with mud, so she looked like a tan and white mess. Her rider didn't look any better. His clothes were no better than the man Piper had nearly fought with earlier in the saloon. A dark brown coat with a couple layers underneath and old pants, but no spurs. His hat hid his face, and for him, that was a good thing. The bandana around his neck helped when it was covering his mouth and nose from dust, but he knew that in a town like this, he'd be mistaken for a bandit, so he let the dust pick up from the road and run into his face.

He watched the show with his horse, wondering what had gotten into that woman who had a man pinned down to the ground with a shotgun to his head.

He shrugged to himself. It wasn't his business, and he didn't want to make it his, either. He turned his horse so that she could drink out of the trough, but he still turned his body to watch the fight.

His hazel-green eyes followed every punch the woman threw at the man, and when she finally gave up on punching him and reverted to the shotgun once more, he laughed to himself. He knew she wasn't about to kill the man. She didn't have it in her. It took more than a nice gun and some words to kill a man.

He turned back to face the store like his horse when he heard the shotgun fire. He whirled around in the saddle, nearly falling off as he did. The man on the ground had yelled in pain, but it looked as if she had only shot his hand. She needed to be more careful. A shotgun like that could blow his hand clean off.

And she nearly done just that. When the stranger looked again, he found that the man on the ground had three fingers. He smiled. Women.

He looked around, thirsty. He was slightly interested in the fight, but water was more on his mind than seeing a woman beat the living daylights out of a man twice her size.

The owner of the goods store came out to watch the fight, a glass of water in one hand. He looked up at the stranger on the muddy horse.

"Thirsty, Stranger?"

He nodded.

"Well, here."

The owner handed the man the water. It wasn't cold, but it wasn't the hot water he had been drinking the past few days and had run out of the day before. He drank it all in a few gulps, and could feel it go down his dried throat. He handed the empty glass back to the shop ownner. "Thanks," was all he said.

"Just comin' through town, or lookin' for a place to stay?"

"Just passin' through…" He didn't like this. Watching the fight was okay, but he had to keep the conversation low. Low or nothing at all was good.

"Where from?"

"All over."

"Got any place in mind that yer goin' to?"

"Not at the moment."

The owner nodded to himself. He looked at Piper Halliwell, demanded for her money from Dan Gordon. "They've been fighting for a while now."

The man nodded.

"Over the woman's money. He took it all, and her business is gonna go under now 'cause of it. Damn man just can't get the greed out of his mind. He married that woman for her money, and left her with it, too."

He nodded again, his eyes watching the fight. He looked down at the store owner. "Look, I need some supplies, so if you could stock me up--"

"Sure. Come on in."

The man tied his horse up to the post and followed the store owner inside. A young woman came out from the back. "That there's my daughter, Elizabeth," the owner explained.

The man tipped his hat to Elizabeth. She offered him a warm smile and watched him walk up to the counter. She smiled to herself. She had never seen him before, but he was definitely something she could be interested in. She watched him for a few more seconds. Well, he could have used a shave, but she immediately fell in love with his eyes and his features. He looked tired enough, beaten up, and half-unconscious by the way he moved about, but still…

He took his hat off to brush it off, but put it back on, covering his dirty blonde hair. He looked at the store owner. "I need enough to get me to the next town."

By the time he had left, the fight was still going. The woman still had the man pinned, and she was roughly wrapping a piece of his shirt she had ripped over his hand to stop the bleeding, still demanding for her money.

The stranger packed up his horse and untied her. He mounted her just as the owner's daughter came out of the store. "You forgot this," she told him, handing him his hat. He reached down and took it, and his hand brushed across hers. She smiled.

"Thank you, Miss." He smiled back at her, put the hat on, and tipped it again. He stole another glance at the fight, shook his head, and with a sharp kick to his horse's flank, ran out of town, all the while wondering if maybe his life was there, or if it was in the town before, or in the next one.

()()()()()

**A/N: I won't pretend you guys are stupid like I am. You all know who that is, there's just one problem: I screwed up his personality. If our favorite guy goes through some mood swings, it's my stupidity, not his fault. Don't blame him, blame me. I have sought help to fix my error, but I still need to fix him. Bear with me, people. Bear with me.**

**PS: My carrot things stopped coming up on here! What are they gonna take next? First the stars and squigglies, then the carrots... What is this website coming to?!?**


	6. Chapter 6

She tied him up against a tree. His hands were tied together, his feet tied together, too. There was a rope running around his chest and around the tree a few times, tied at the other side of the tree. He wasn't gagged--she didn't mind his threats, since it was so easy to tell him to shut up, seeing as he couldn't do anything about her now--or hurt too badly, save for the fact that he was missing two fingers and the wrap was bleeding through.

()()

Piper came outside when she heard him screaming for her to let him go. "Ah, quit yer whinin'. Yer barley even hurt. Ya ain't got a fever, and it ain't infected. You'll be fine."

"Let me go, Piper!"

"Give me my money and I'll let you go."

John Taylor rode up with another man, named Joseph Barnes. Joseph was the man who supervised the building of one of the barns. He came to take it down.

"Piper… If you can't make this payment, I have to take my land back," John said sympathetically.

"What? No! I only missed one pay!"

"I'm sorry, Piper. I run a business here. I have to take my land back, and I've got people waiting for it."

"Wait! If I get my money back, someone else might have my land!"

"I'm sorry, Piper."

"And I need to take the barn down," Joseph stated firmly.

"_What_?"

"You were still paying me back for it, and you've only paid for half so far. If you can't make the payment, I gotta take it down."

"Oh my God," Piper groaned, running a hand through her hair. "You can't take my land and my barn. What will I do?"

"Not my problem," Joseph said.

John shook his head.

()()

A week later, Piper had three problems: she was short one barn, she was short a third of her land, and she still had Dan tied up in her backyard. She, Jack, Prue, Phoebe, and Jacob had spent a lot of time moving horses. They took horses from the destroyed barn and let the healthiest ones free in the pasture, while the youngest and oldest went to a different barn. From the different barn, they had to take the strongest horses that were needed the least out, and put the others in. With part of their land gone, the horses were forced to come closer together.

Here was the real problem: The stallions had the third of the land that John had taken away. They were fenced away from the mares and the geldings. They had to be kept separate.

All day for a full week, the Armstrongs and Piper built up another fence for the stallions. They cut trees down and used them for the fences. Taking advantage of the forest lining the field behind their house, they separated the area they fenced off for the stallions into twenty fair-sized corrals, one for each horse. The last time they were all together, they fought too much.

()()

"Timber!"

Piper, Prue, and Phoebe stepped out of the way as Jacob and Jack gave the large oak tree a final shove to help it fall. They had been sawing at the nearly three foot wide tree for a long time, and finally got it to fall.

They got to work sawing the branches off, chopping the easier ones with machetes and axes. They piled the useless branches together, throwing them into a pile they had made with other tree branches. It took a long time to get the tree cut, but they had it cut in half and split up into pieces they would use for the fences.

Joanne had four of their strongest horses pulling a cart large enough to haul the wood, and they worked to get it all up there. Then she guided the horses uphill into the fields, and across the field to the place the stallions would be.

It went like this for a week, from dawn till dusk, and even for two days working into the night, though it was more dangerous. They came back to the house tired, and left tired the next morning. What made it harder was the fact that they had horses to care for, so they were up before dawn to feed them. Then they rode their horses down to the forest, let them go--knowing that the horses would come when called--, and got to work.

()()

Piper walked up to Dan and sat in front of him. He avoided her gaze. She just stared at him.

"Hungry?" she asked him after a moment of silence. He didn't answer. "Yeah, me too… It's just too bad you can't be workin' out there with us."

He finally turned to look at her, but didn't speak a word.

"You know, I could go into town and buy food if you'd tell me where my money is," Piper said calmly.

He still said nothing.

"Where is it Dan?" she asked quietly.

He glared at her.

"Look, we've already done the work, so we're tired, we're hungry, and we'll let ya go if you tell me where it is. It's not like it'll help us get any work done, since we've already built the fences. In fact, if you give it up now, it will just be more work for us, since we'll have to move the fences to get the land back, and move and find horses to get them into a new barn."

Dan still said nothing. He looked away.

()()

He sat against the tree, sheltered from nothing, really, but there were no stares in the cloudy sky, and it looked like rain, so he had decided to build a fire under the tree for some sort of safety from the coming rain.

His horse stomped and snorted. She threw her head and stared at him.

"What?" he asked. The horse continued to stare at him. You wanna go back home?" he asked, though he knew he would never go back. It wasn't an option.

The white mare tossed her head from side to side, seemingly saying, "No."

"Good." He paused as he looked off into the dark. The fields were pitch black below them, but there was nothing to see down there, anyway. "So, what did you think of the last town?" he asked suddenly, turning to look at the mare, who was munching on some grass. She snorted, but didn't look up. That bad, huh?"

The mare looked up at him and threw her head. Even in the darkness of the night, he could see her beautiful long white mane whip as she tossed her head from side to side, up and down. He smiled slightly, knowing she was glad to have a creek nearby to wash in. She needed a bath more than other horses to keep her white coat and mane shining.

"What about the lady there, fightin' the man? She was somethin', all right."

A woman laughed softly. You always _have_ gone for brunettes," she said as she walked up to the man and his horse.

He didn't look up. He couldn't. He couldn't look up, because he knew that she would still be there when he turned around, but when he blinked, she would be gone. She had been playing these games on him for a while now, and it was getting painful Not on his body, or his pride, but on his heart. It hurt him to know that she was there for moments at a time before going away, taking the reality of her presence along with her, and leaving the aching burn in his heart that weighed on him.

The problem was that he was doing it to himself. He was the one making her come and go each night. His own mind was playing tricks on him. No, it was his heart. His heart had been playing these tricks on him for a very long time.

"Why do you keep doing these?" he asked her hoarsely, afraid to look at her.

"Why can't you let me go?" she asked him. She walked up from behind him and sat on his right side. He stared at the fire. Her hand touched his shoulder, and he felt it, but he knew it wasn't real. He couldn't let himself believe it was. She ran the back of her hand down the side of his face.. His shivered from her touch. "You're cold, she said, a small hint of worry in her tone.

"No, you are. Your hands are freezing," he told her, trying to remind her subtly that she wasn't real.

With her free hand, she brushed her long hair back from her shoulders. He took that moment to glance at her, and was captivated. Damn, she could always do that to him. Ah, she was right though. He had always loved dark hair. He was constantly reassuring her that he loved her blonde hair, but she still made little jokes at him about it. True, he did love brunettes, but her hair was beautiful, as well. It seemed to never have a knot or tangle in it, always shining in the sun, and always easy to run his hand through.

"I'm not stupid," I know what you're saying." There was a hint of irritation inn her voice, but she was joking with him, and he knew it.

"It's not a joke. You have to leave. This can't keep happening. "You're--You're here, then you're gone."

"Not right now. Right now I'm here."

No, you're gone. You can't be there at all." You don't.--"

"Belong her?" Please." She laughed.

"Please go."

"Okay." There was so much enthusiasm in her voice. It sounded so real… "I'll go get some firewood. It's dying down, anyway.":

When he looked at the fire, he found she was right. He needed wood.

"I love you," she said to him. She kissed him softly. He wanted the moment to last, to last forever. But it didn't.

As he did every time, he found himself answering her. "I love you, too."

She was leaning in front of him by then, smiling into his eyes he couldn't return the smile. He could barely return the "I love you". It was merely a natural reaction. She brushed a hand through his hair and he longed to put his fingers through hers, but knew he couldn't. It would be the same as clinging to the past even more than he was doing already if he allowed himself to do anything but follow along with her game until she left.

She stood up with a smile and turned her back to him, walking away into the darkness of the woods. He waited for only a second, staring at the fire, before looking up to watch her figure fade away, not a factor of the darkness or his eyes playing tricks on him, but his mind finally letting her go for the night.

He had to stop this. If it kept up the way it did, he would be expecting to see the fire still burning bright in the morning with extra firewood nearby. She wasn't a dream, but she wasn't real. He was allowing himself to hold onto her. He couldn't do it anymore. It wasn't right.

He turned his gaze back into the fire. He watched it so carefully, staring at the flames as they licked the warm air, that he felt maybe it could burn his troubles away. But then it would burn _her _away.

He looked away, not ready to do that quite yet. He knew he was torturing himself, but he couldn't burn her memory. Not yet. Curse that fire. It damn near got him to let go.

()()()()()()()()()()

**A/N: There's more Mystery-Guy-Who-Everyone-Knows for ya'll. But the woman's whereabouts will remain a mystery for a while. She'll make more appearances, though, as will the "Mystery" Man. I won't explain fully who she is until after Piper and Leo meet, but she has a past, too. By the way, the horse is very important, just so you know. He loves that horse, and will do_ just about anything_ to protect it. No, she doesn't talk, (what I mean by that is when she seemed to be saying, "No", she was throwing her head, and he just took it as a "No".) but she listens.**

**More Piper beating up Dan, more He (I won't actually say his name until he gets into Piper's town again, so he and his and him are You-Know-Who-Even-Though-You're-Not-Supposed-To-Know-Who.) Hope you liked it, and don't forget to review!**


	7. Chapter 7

Prue and Phoebe came running into the house. Prue reached the front porch first and flew onto it. She touched the door.

"Ha! You lose!"

"No fair, you got the head start!"

"How? We started at the same time!"

"You have a five-year advantage! I'm five years younger!"

"So? Your bones should be newer and faster, then."

Phoebe stuck her tongue out at Prue as the older sister went inside. She started to turn around to go back into the barn when Prue stuck her head out.

"Hey, Phoebe!"

"What?"

Prue motioned for Phoebe to come inside. Phoebe gave her sister a questionable look, but followed anyway. Prue led her up to Piper's door. They moved closer to the door and could hear soft sobs and sniffling.

Prue pushed the door open quietly. She and Phoebe could see Piper lying on the bed, a blanket covering her. The to sisters went into the room. Prue sat on the floor in front of Piper, and Phoebe laid behind her, resting her chin on Piper's shoulder so that she could somewhat see her face.

"It'll be okay, Piper," Prue said quietly.

"Yeah, I mean, we got the horses moved and all, so… that's done…" Phoebe agreed.

"We have _no money_," Piper pointed out without moving.

"We can ride out to see if anyone needs horses. We'll sell 'em to different towns. We can sell to the people instead of the groups, you know? And then we'll have enough money to get us through to the auction," Phoebe said.

"Yeah, right," Piper replied sarcastically.

"He's still out there, Piper, if you want to go ask him again."

"Who, Dan? I'm thinking maybe I'm done with him…"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I'll ask him again, and if he doesn't tell…"

"Do what you want, Piper," Phoebe said.

"What do you mean?" Piper asked.

"We mean," Prue explained, "that whatever you do to him is fine by us, so long as you beat the living daylights out of him, and get the money back."

Piper laughed a little. "I sounds like it's all about the money…"

"No, you don't."

"I do. But it's much more than that. It's love… I… I was fooled by him. I was stupid to believe he was with me for the right reasons… I played the innocent girl."

"And you got burned."

"Whose side are you on, anyway?" Piper asked Prue.

"Yours. You know that. What I'm saying is you were hurt, and you need a little revenge. What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing," Phoebe answered.

Piper nodded to agree.

_(pretend this is some sort of time lapse. they won't let me put 2 parenthesis together now)_

What the _hell_ was going on here?

He rode his horse into the town, absolutely bewildered as to why this was happening. The road was stained with blood. No person was walking on the street. He road his horse slowly through the middle of the road, looking for a person--any person. He turned in the saddle and glanced behind him, wincing when he turned back. He looked down at his arm. He pulled the coat off of his right arm gently, revealing a blood stain on his upper arm. He didn't touch it.

"Damn it…" he grumbled.

He kept riding down the road until he saw a person outside. He sighed with relief and rode up next to the woman. She had dark blonde hair that was pulled up into a bun. Her light blue dress was worn, and she had a white apron tied around her waist, going down near her feet. She walked facing the outside of town, the same direction he was going.

"'Scuse me, Miss?" He rode up alongside her on the left side of the road and looked down at her.

She looked over at him, but kept up her pace walking. "You need somethin' from this town? It's safer to go to the next."

"Why's that?"

"You've been walking our streets. Look at the blood."

"I'm just lookin' for a doctor."

The woman looked up at him again. "It's outside town. I'm headed there myself. I'm his sister, Rose Barlow."

"I'll give you a ride if your brother will see me."

She stopped walking and he stopped his horse. "Fine." She took his left hand pulled herself up onto the horse behind him. There were canteens tied to his saddle, and a couple of things rolled up and tied to it, as well. She spotted a bag tied up, too. Her eye caught a shotgun sticking out of a sheath on the side of the saddle, but wasn't too worried. Everybody in her town had guns. "It's a couple minutes up the way," she told him.

He nodded.

"So where you from?"

"Not here."

"Yer probly' wonderin' why there's blood on our street…"

"No," he lied.

"There was a gun fight out here. Big one. 'Bout thirty or more people got in it over land… We're still dealin' with the aftershock…" She was silent for a few seconds. "Kinda stupid, huh? People dyin' for a few acres…"

He gave the horse a small kick and galloped instead of the fast trot they were going at. The sound of the horse's hooves on the ground made it harder to speak, but he didn't want to talk.

They got to the house and he tied his mare up to a hitching post outside the house. There was a little sign that read:

Doc. Barlow

He followed the woman inside. She called for her brother and turned back to him. He had a limp. It was slight, barely noticeable, but she knew an old injury when she saw one. "Ya gotta take yer coat off."

He pulled off his coat, being more gentle with the right arm. There was more blood stained on his arm.

"What happened?" she asked, taking a step forward.

"I met some people that didn't like me," he answered.

"Did they follow you?" Rose asked, afraid of more fighting in her town.

"No. They're goin' nowhere."

"Oh." She eyed him carefully. "Yer shirt, too."

He hesitated for a second before taking his shirt off, as well. On his right arm was a bandage, bleeding through. "Do you want me to take off my pants now?" he asked, though she knew he wasn't serious.

"No thank you, this'll do fine." Rose took another step forward and carefully unwrapped the bandage.

"It went straight through."

"I see that."

Rose's brother came down the stairs. "Yes?"

"This is my brother, David Barlow. He'll fix you up."

_(pretend this is another time lapse. i'll try to think of something new that will work)_

Dr. Barlow tried many times to get a story out of the stranger Rose brought in, with no success. He either answered with "yes", "no", or silence. There was definitely something or someone he was protecting. Something he didn't want others to know about him.

"So what are you, some kinda thief?"

"No."

"You lookin' a home here?"

"No."

"Well, good. You shouldn't."

"No?"

"There's nothing about this town that would make a man wanna settle."

"Who said I wanted to settle?"

"Well, you don't look married, and as far as I can see just about every man around just wants a family."

"Well, as far as I can see, you ain't done lookin' at people."

Dr. Barlow sighed. "So, Rose said you had a limp. What happened?"

"Nothing."

"Mind if I take a look?"

"Actually, I do."

"Fine."

"So what do I owe ya?"

"…Nothing. This one's on the house."

"Thanks," he said roughly, pulling on his coat. Rose led him outside to his horse. She was waiting patiently for him. He stroked the mare's mane a couple of times before climbing on her. He tipped his hat to Rose and rode away.

_(another time lapse. i'm getting sick of them taking our little symbols)_

That night, sitting with his horse beside a fire under a make-shift tent in the middle of nowhere, he considered the doctor's words. Settling down. He shuddered. Those were not good words. They held fear and pain and regret in them.

Family.

Another bad word.

Love.

What about that one? Nah, it wasn't a bad word… It was just… It had become an uncommon one lately. Love was something to put on the list. The list that every person with a thought for the future had. A list like 'start a business, plant a garden, find love'. It wasn't something for a list, though.

He knew plenty about love. It meant settling down. So why wasn't love a bad word? He couldn't understand that.

He looked at his horse and it hit him. Settling down meant a family. Love just meant something new that he wanted again. It didn't mean a family or a new life. And if it did, it sure wasn't as scary when he was in love.

"…Do you think we should go back?" he asked the horse.

She neighed.

"I don't want to…" he groaned. "But… There was just something about that town. There was somethin' I liked there."

The horse remained silent.

"That woman there…"

"She needs your help," the woman's voice came to him once more. He winced and closed his eyes.

"Just go," he pleaded.

"No. Not this time. Not yet." She knelt in front of him, her eyes searching his for something--anything. If there was any answer to any question, she knew she could find it in his eyes. But lately, whenever she was around him, he was even more enigmatic than usual. It frustrated her to no end. But she had a job to do. "You need to listen to me."

He looked into her eyes reluctantly and waited for her to continue.

"She needs your help. Very much so…" She sighed. "And you need hers."

"I don't need any help. I just need you to leave."

"You do need her help. As much as she needs yours… But first you need to help her. She _will_ help you. Trust me, she will. But _you_ need to help _her_ first. It will be hard. It will be frustrating and confusing… You'll want to give up, but you can't. I can only pray that you won't. But I know you, and I know that you'll keep going."

"Going? Going at what?"

"Just let your heart lead you."

"Heart," he snorted. "I wouldn't trust that to lead me to my horse."

"That may be, but trust it to lead you down the right path. Trust _me_."

He stared into her eyes and nodded slightly. "So I have to go back…"

"Yes. _You_ _have to go back_."

_(last time lapse. we're back at Piper's place)_

Jacob ran outside. He raced to the tree Dan was still tied up to. He was right. Piper had snapped. She was kneeling in front of Dan, the end of the barrel of her pistol against his head. She was threatening him, and Jacob knew that she would carry out her threats.

She'd hit a nerve. She was ready to do anything to get her money back. To get her dignity and pride back.

"This is the last time I will ask you this, Dan. Where is my money?"

Dan was tired. He was hungry, pissed, tired, and nearly ready to give in. But not yet. He glared at Piper and spat at her feet.

"That's not the answer I was looking for…"

"Let… me… go… Piper…" Dan said quietly, his voice threatening.

Piper knew his threats were nothing. He was tied up. "I'm tired of playing games." She cocked the pistol. "Where is it?"

Dan said nothing.

Piper sighed. She stood up and started to walk away. She looked up and saw Jacob watching from the side of the house. When she heard Dan kick his foot out in the dirt, she whirled around and fired.

A/N: **Okay, if some of his thoughts were confusing, that's just my style of writing. Confusing. That's me! But it wasn't in italics because he was thinking it, but not word-for-word. And if that's even more confusing, then ignore me, because you're in for a rough road.**

**THEY TOOK MY PARENTHESIS!!!!!! ARRRRGH!!! I can put one parenthesis, writing, then another, but togehter, nooooooo! Next they're gonna take the letter "z", then "q", then, before you know it, we'll be writing with symbols. A grape vine will be "a", and a pencil will be "s"... We should protest to the website.**

**Okay, let me give you a clue of what happens in the next chapter... Clue: It's what you all wanted...kinda**

**Leo's in for some mood swings. I'm writing him as the reserved, quiet type who is actually very egotistic and out-there, bu if you catch him at the right moment, he's serious and brokenhearted.**

**That was confusing, too. Even for me. Okay, I'll just go now...**


	8. Chapter 8

He looked at his camp from the night before. She was right…He felt that he had to go back. He was tired of coming and going from town to town. He was sick of being on his own. It was nice at times, but for the most part it was lonely. And dangerous. He looked down at his right arm, just under his shoulder. Pushing his coat and shirt away, he could see that he wasn't bleeding through the bandage. That was a good thing.

Damn bandits. Always getting in the middle of things. Trying to take what isn't theirs…He hated bandits. They were another reason why he hated being out here alone.

His horse snorted and threw her head. She stomped on the ground.

He looked at the mare. "Fine. Come on." He took her saddle, bridle, and saddle blanket off and walked about thirty feet away to the creek. She followed him closely up to the water's edge. He turned and stared at her.

"Well?"

The white mare's coat was dirty once more. It was always dirty. She needed a bath, and he knew it.

"Come on," he coaxed.

The mare took a step into the water. She walked all the way in, until the water was about halfway up her legs. She turned to look at her owner. He didn't move for a few seconds, but then took his coat and shirt off, tossed them on the ground, and walked into the water after her. It was a little more than knee-deep near his horse, but he didn't mind.

He scooped up some water in his hands and brought it up to the horse's side, rubbing it in to get the dirt out. It left brown streaks in her coat, but when he guided her into even deeper waters, where it was up to his chest, it was easier to wash her. He didn't have soap for her, but water was enough to keep her clean.

When the mare was cleaned off, she splashed around in the water, throwing her front leg up and down, throwing her head around, too. He ignored her, and waded into deeper waters, where he couldn't touch the muddy, rocky bottom. It was a deep creek. She stopped splashing and simply stared at him, a second later following. Even she was swimming.

He dove under the water and came back up a moment later, his sandy hair darker from the water. His mare didn't like the fact that she couldn't touch bottom, and moved farther upstream to shallower waters. He watched her move, then disappeared underwater once more. Skimming the bottom of the deep creek, he picked up some mud. Most of it was lost by the time he came back up to the surface, but it was enough, and his aim was good.

The mare literally glared at him when the mud splattered on her neck. He simply laughed at her. He swam to shallower waters, where the water was just about four feet deep. He whistled for his horse, and she walked slowly, cautiously, through the water up to him. He rubbed her down with his hands, the water cleaning the mud from her coat, while she stood still, enjoying the massage.

"There. Now go." He gave her flank a slap and she trotted into even shallower water. He shook his head.

* * *

Dan sat there, trying to catch his breath. He looked up barely to see where Piper had shot into the tree, just above his head. His breathing was harsh and irregular, his heart out of control. 

Piper was stunned. She couldn't believe what she had done. Her plan was to kill him! As she had whirled around, she had had a split second decision _not_ to kill him. To make him suffer just a little more.

So she missed.

So she shot the tree.

...She wished she'd killed him...

Prue came running out with Phoebe after hearing the shot, both sisters with a biscuit in one hand. Prue took a bite out of hers. "Good going, Piper."

Piper's breathing was heavy. She turned around to walk toward the house. "Give 'im the biscuit," she ordered Prue as she went around to the front of the house.

Prue looked at her biscuit. She snatched Phoebe's and threw it at Dan. Phoebe protested, but Prue ignored her. Dan barely had enough slack from the ropes to grab it and eat it.

* * *

Piper walked quietly up to Dan Gordon. He was weak. He'd had enough, she decided. She knelt down in front of him. "Last chance."

Dan sighed. "You've ransacked my home, I know. It's not there." He closed his eyes. "I don't know where it is."

"What do you mean?" Piper asked quietly.

"My brother, he has it."

"Your brother," Piper echoed.

"Yes," Dan coughed.

"Where is he?"

"He left town…East."

"How far?"

"'Bout ten miles…"

"Take me there," Piper ordered, cutting Dan's ropes, though she was careful to leave the rope tying his hands together on.

For the first time in three weeks, he stood up, barely able to. Piper led him to a horse, already saddled. She held the reins of the horse as Dan struggled to get onto him. Piper then led the stallion out of the barn and up to Spade. She tied a rope to the stallion's reins, and tied the end of it to Spade's saddle. She climbed onto her horse. They slowly made their way riding out of town, never even trotting.

* * *

Dan nearly fainted on the ten mile ride to his brother's farm. He was falling forward on the horse, both of his hands clamped on the saddle horn. 

Piper walked up to the door of Dan's brother's home. It was literally in the middle of nowhere. She pounded on the door. After a loud, tired groan from inside the house, it opened. The grungy man standing in the doorway was greeted by having to catch his brother as Piper shoved Dan into him.

The brothers fell back, Dan on top.

"Wakeup call!" Piper said as she walked over them into the house.

"God_damn_ you, woman!"

Brian Gordon was well-known for his temper, but Piper wasn't at all afraid. She already had her gun out and had it pointing at the two brothers.

"Now…Where is my money?"

Brian grumbled something under his breath, and pushed his brother off of him. He struggled to get up. Piper allowed him to stand, and he faced her, towering over her, and glared.

"Mad--that's what you are, woman. Yer mad-crazy."

"Stupid--that's what you are if you don't tell me where my money is."

"I got lots of money," Brian muttered after a few seconds. "How'm I to know that yer not lyin' anyway?"

"Trust me," Piper growled.

"Well I don't."

"You'd better," Piper said as she raised her gun.

* * *

The white mare snorted and tossed her head. She went back to eating the grass. Soon, she wandered over in the grass and stuck her head in her owner's face. She snorted. 

He had been half-asleep in the sun, his hat pushed down to cover his eyes, sprawled out in the tall grass. When the mare snorted at him, he jumped up and rolled over.

"Oh, God…" He looked up at the questioning eyes of the horse. "Bad horse. Go away," he said to her.

She didn't move.

He muttered something under his breath about shooting her, but he knew he never would. Simple threats. They never meant much, especially to the horse. She walked away eventually, and found a patch of grass to eat from.

He rolled onto his back again and adjusted his hat. He kept one eye on the mare for a moment, and when he decided it was safe, fell asleep in the sun.

When he woke up, it was still bright day. He looked at the sun and guessed that it was about three o'clock.

"Time to go."

The mare heard this and looked up, curious. Her owner was already up, packing up last night's camp. He rolled up the blanket and tied it. He put the small skillet and pot into a brown leather bag, along with a couple packs of matches.

He whistled for the mare and she looked up from the grass again. When he stood staring at her, waiting for her to come over, she stared back defiantly. He whistled again and reached into a bag. He pulled out a cube of sugar and held it out.

The mare trotted the fifty feet up to him without a second thought. She stood right in his face and waited. He gave her the sugar and scratched her ear. While she was chewing, he dropped her saddle on her back, then turned around and tied the bag with the pot and pan to it. He stuck the small bag of sugar cubes in there before tying it shut and fastening it to her saddle correctly. He tied the blanket to the back of the saddle, then another bag to the other side, that one with some cooked food. He slid the machete into the cloth sheath and tied it flat to one of the bags. He threw some water on the already smoldering fire and kicked some dirt on it.

He turned and slipped the mare's bridle onto her. She didn't fuss at all. He grabbed his pistol from his belt and quickly shot the nearest tree three times. The mare snorted and tossed her head.

He looked at her. "What?"

She didn't move.

"I still got it."

The horse looked at him, then looked away.

"You never lost it," a woman laughed.

He groaned and closed his eyes. He refused to make eye contact with her.

"Hello," she said quietly, standing in front of him, her hands clasped behind her back. "You are going back?"

He sighed. "…Yes."

"Good. You must leave. She needs you--now."

"…It will be two days before I get there."

"Then in two days, your…mission…begins. Hell, it's already started."

"I don't even know what I'm doing…"

"You're helping yourself, you're helping her…and you're avenging me."

He looked up, suddenly interested. "How?"

"Just wait. First, you must let me go."

"Right…" He snorted. "Let you go…"

She looked at his side. "You're still hurt."

"I'll live."

She was silent. That hurt both of them.

"Until next time?" she asked.

"I hope not."

"I love you, too." She smiled. He reached out, without thinking, and ran his hand through her soft blonde hair. She faded away.

He cursed under his breath. "God damn it…"

He wasn't sure lately if it was his mind (or heart…maybe they were conspiring against him) making her appear, or maybe it was her…her spirit? She was haunting him. Or maybe he was haunting himself with her…

He grabbed his shotgun where it had been propped up against a log and got on the horse roughly. He shoved the gun into the sheath and looked around the camp one last time. He gave the mare a sharp, short kick.

"Heeah!"

The mare galloped away, running in the opposite direction of the setting sun.

* * *

**There. 5 pages long. I hope that makes up for the long wait.**

**Just so you all know, naming Dan's brother Brian wasn't a strike again't Brian Krause. I was out of names...I'm gonna need the Great Big Book of Baby Names soon... In a review, could you guys give me some names? Seriously, I'm completely at a loss for names. Especially last names. If any of you can think of some, please DO NOT hesitate to tell me!**

**Ooh, I wonder who the blonde woman is...Ooh...Why don't you find out in "Always"? It's in there...Ooh...**

**Review, please, and don't forget those names!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Woo hoo! Look! An update!**

**foureverCharmed: Thanks much! I aim to please!**

**scullymulder1234: Wow, the best, huh? Damn, I'm good!**

**piperleo4eva: Shh! Don't tell! Think about Leo's past in the show. Now whaddaya think her name is, huh?**

**i like eggs: What a penname! Holy crap, thanks for all the names! It will definitely help!Got any last names? I've been flipping through my yearbooks, and that's helping, too.**

**Chub: Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! Hey, you named my dog and my brother, my friend, my cat, my other friend, my other friend, my other friend, my enemy, my friend's brother, my other friend, my dad's friend, and one of my favorite names (Emma). Wow. Thanks! And that's just on the top of your head?!?**

**Sorry if I missed anybody...I'm having some organization issues.**

* * *

By the time the second night had settled, he already had a camp set up. He let the horse roam, knowing she wouldn't go far, and added some wood to the fire. He sat on a log he'd set up beside the flame.

Not twenty minutes passed when he heard a rustle in the long grass. He looked over his shoulder, but brushed it off as some animal. He glanced at his horse, about fifteen yards in front of him, eating the grass, moving every now and then.

He heard a rustle again and whipped around. His hand gripped the handle of the pistol and he pulled it out. He stood up and turned to where he'd heard the sound come from.

He heard three loud shots. His horse neighed and galloped away. That was when he felt the burn in his side. Fire spread from his chest and side and spread through his body.

Everything went black.

Jacob jumped off of his horse and tied it up to a hitching post built outside the house. He noticed Piper's horse tied up, as well. He'd gotten a tip from someone from town as to where Piper was, and he and Jack had ridden there right away.

Jack was already at the door. He opened it up. No one was there. The father and son slowly made their way through the house. They got to the back door and swung it open.

Jacob laughed. Jack slapped his arm.

Dan and Brian were tied with their backs to opposite sides of a tree. About twenty feet away, Piper was digging. She had a hole about three feet deep and two feet wide. There was a pile of dirt beside her.

"Piper…Piper, what're you doing?"

Piper didn't stop digging. "Getting--" She stuck she shovel into the ground. "--my--" She jumped on it to get it to go down deeper. "--money." She pushed the handle down and pulled up some dirt.

"In Hell? The money's in Hell?" Jacob asked. Jack slapped his arm again.

Piper drove the shovel into the ground again. It slammed against something hard. Something metal. She frantically dug around it, then dropped down to her knees to dig with her hands.

"It can't be…" Piper pulled the small metal safe out of the ground, with some struggle. She managed to pull it onto the level earth beside her. "I can't believe it."

"Piper, is that what I think it is?" Jack asked quietly.

"What's the combination?" Piper snapped, glaring at Brian.

He didn't answer. He didn't even look at her. He was tied with his back to her, anyway. He stayed silent.

"What is it?" Piper demanded.

She got no answer. It wasn't worth it, she figured. So she stood up and backed away. "Watch it." She pulled out her gun and shot the lock. If flew off. She dropped down to her knees again and yanked the little door open. Her breath caught in her throat. "Oh my God."

There it was--all of her money.

Piper's hands trembled as she reached out and took it out of the small safe. It was in two small bundles. She counted it very quickly. She'd been wrong--he'd taken over four hundred dollars from her over the entire time they were together.

"Is that--"

Piper screamed. She jumped up and faced Jacob and Jack and screamed again. She hugged them both.

* * *

When he woke, it hurt to move. He could barely breathe. She struggled to his knees to find that his entire camp was destroyed. Everything was gone…Everything but his shotgun. Hmm.

His hand searched his belt. His two guns were still there, as well.

God damn bandits.

He took in a shaky breath. He tried to stand, but couldn't. He looked up to see his horse--the same scared filly who ran away, who had been around gunshots her entire life--standing three yards away from him…munching on grass.

He had a split second thought to shoot her down. That damn horse. He sighed and decided not to. He needed a way out of here…

He whistled for his horse, and she looked up at him. She stood still for a few seconds, staring at him. He was half-laying on the ground, mostly on his side, one arm under him, the other reaching out at her. She walked up to him and he snatched her reigns. He'd never been more glad he'd left her saddled in his life.

He somehow managed to push and pull himself onto the horse. He looked around. There was nothing left. He got her to walk him over to the tree his shotgun was propped up against, and leaned down to grab it, barely able to. He slipped it into the holster.

He sat up as straight as he could. It wasn't that straight. He looked down for the first time, afraid of what he would find.

The red blood-soaked shirt and coat confirmed his fears. The fire in his side and chest didn't help, either. With one more look at the empty camp, he gave the mare's reigns a snap. She galloped off.

He'd never been on a more painful horse ride.

* * *

Piper walked into the saloon and sat at a table instead of a bar. She didn't get a drink. She sighed and put her head in her hands. The money was returned to the Armstrongs, and she'd threatened Dan's life in case she ever saw him back in town. The same treatment went for his brother. They'd both packed up and left, together.

For the first time in a while, Piper smiled.

A man stumbled into the saloon. He was limping terribly. Blood stained his shirt and coat. He could barely stand.

Piper's head whipped around to see. She caught a glimpse of a white mare behind the doors he'd just come through. The horse's coat was stained with blood, probably from when he'd gotten off.

She studied his features. His face. She examined his entire body from head to toe with her eyes from across the room. Her first thought of him was, _Wow._

Despite the blood trickling down from his shirt and coat, she had to take in a quiet breath. Her eyes flew past his face, but returned to stare at it.

His eyes were captivating.

Even though she was across the room and three men were getting up to help him, she could still see a shine in those eyes. His features were tired and slightly worn, but it didn't matter. She had been taken so much by surprise at seeing him that when he fell to the floor that she had moved in her seat, almost getting up to help.

She stopped herself just in time and sat down.

* * *

Ooh...I wonder who stumbled into the saloon?

My freaking sideways carrots are gone! What the hell??? Oh...forget it, I'm not in the mood.

Mom's yellin' at me to get offline, soI g2g! Don't forget to review, people! It only takes like twelve seconds to make me happy!


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry 'bout the delay, guys!**

**Thanks to:**

**Chub: Ah, but you did wait to see what happened, did you not?**

**piperleo4eva: Sign in? What are you talking about? Which drugs are you on? Um...You're right about the LN thing...Good job! Don't tell! Nobody's said anything about it but you, so i don't know if anyone else is right...I doubt it...Maybe...A on the test!**

**jenny: Oh, they didn't meet yet...And add another few cherries, a spoon, and some sugar, and you got yourself an update to Payback.**

**anjana: Wow, you had a whole advertisement for your story up there. Anyway, Leo gets better. He gets sarcastic, but then he has to get emotional...Ah, you'll see. I'm flattered by the remark about my talent, by the way. Now I know I'm talented, and I can prove my therapist wrong when she tell me it's just an obsession!**

**Magical Princess: I love it, too!**

* * *

The first thing that he noticed was the headache. Then the pillow and the bed beneath him. He tried to think of why he was there. Why was he even in a house? Everything was fuzzy. 

He looked around the room, eyes darting from place to place. It looked like a doctor's office. There were no doctors, though.

He quickly tried to sit up, but a burning sensation in his side kept him from getting far. He fell back down and took in a breath. His chest hurt, too, near his shoulder.

That was when he realized his coat was gone. Shirt, too. There was a bandage around his side, another near his shoulder.

He glanced around the room. His coat and shirt were both hung on a coat rack.

He tried to piece it together…He remembered getting to a town and making it into the saloon, but that was it…Why was he there, again? Okay, so he was at a doctor's office now…

Still no doctor.

Slightly nervous to sit up, not ready to risk it, he stayed down on the bed. It wasn't very comfortable…Still, it wasn't _too_ bad. He closed it eyes and tried to remember what had happened the night before.

It all hit him without warning. He remembered everything. It was like a puzzle that put itself together.

Those bandits. They shot him.

"Damn it…" he grumbled. _How'd I make it to a town?_ he thought. He remembered how long the ride had seemed. It was very late when he'd gotten there. He remembered being carried off, and he remembered fainting.

What town was he in?

* * *

Piper walked down the street quietly. The streets were buzzing with wondering people. It seemed the entire town knew about the man who appeared the day before. The Sheriff came through and took a few statements, especially from the doctor and the three men who carried the stranger off. 

No one knew who he was or where he came from. They figured bandits shot him and stole his money and belongings, but he had guns. And a horse. The sheriff's son had taken the horse away and fed and watered her.

Piper had gone home soon after the stranger was carried off and went to bed. She hadn't really cared much, but his face kept haunting her.

She shrugged off his memory now as she walked back in her house. She grabbed a biscuit and took a bite out of it. Prue and Phoebe came downstairs.

"Hey, did ya hear--"

"Yes, I heard. I know all about it. I was there when he got carried off," Piper cut Prue off.

"What are you talking about? I was gonna ask you if you heard the dog Daddy got howlin'," Prue said.

"Oh…Yeah, I heard the rascal," Piper answered.

"He's not a rascal."

"He's a mutt, then. A scoundrel."

"He is not!" Phoebe defended the dog Jack had bought the week before. He'd come home with a furry mutt. It was a protective dog and more loyal than any, but he smelled funny, And he howled all night.

Prue shushed Phoebe, then turned to Piper. "What were you talking about?"

"That, uh…Never mind."

"What?"

"That man that came through here last night. The one who was shot."

"Oh yeah, I heard about that."

"Yeah."

"Does anyone know who he is?" Phoebe wondered.

"I don't know…I was outta there real quick."

"Where's he now?"

"Doc's I reckon."

"So what'd he look like?" Phoebe asked.

"Why?"

"Curious."

"Didn't that kill the cat?" Prue teased.

"Hey, that was a good cat! It got under the horse on _mistake_."

"Whatever…And it's '_by_ mistake'."

Phoebe shook her head. "Who cares?"

Jacob came downstairs. "Morning."

"Morning."

"Hear about that stranger that blew in?" Jake asked.

"Yeah…"

Jake nodded, mostly to himself. "Yup…Hear he was shot."

"Yeah."

"I'll be in the stable." Jacob grabbed a biscuit and went outside.

"So you never answered my question," Phoebe said as soon as the door closed. She sat on the edge of the table and Prue slapped her arm. She stood up.

"What question?"

"What'd the stranger look like?"

Piper didn't answer. She just laughed and ran outside after Jake.

* * *

A young nurse walked into the room. "Oh, good…" she said quietly. "You're awake." She walked up to him and felt his forehead with the back of her hand. "Fever's gone down…I'll tell the doctor when he gets back." 

He managed to mumble a few words. "Where am I?"

"Doc Richmond."

"How'd I get here?"

The nurse moved around the slow room a little to walk to his other side. "Apparently, you made it into the saloon last night, but you collapsed in there. A few men carried you here."

"My horse?"

"With the Sheriff's son. They have a small stable back there. The mare's in there with the horses."

He nodded.

"So what happened to ya?"

"Bandits." He tried to sit up.

"Oh, no. Stay down. Tomorrow, maybe, but you can't sit up yet."

* * *

A long five days passed and the doctor finally let him out. As soon as he walked outside, he noticed some men and women on the wooden sidewalk and a few in the street watching him. A young boy--about seven or eight--held out the reins to his horse. 

The mare snorted at him. He glared at her as if to say, "Shut up. I know I got shot."

He turned to the nurse and doctor. "Thank you," he said.

The nurse smiled. "Anytime."

"What do I owe?"

"Just don't get shot again."

"Thanks."

He almost smiled. It was the second time in a row he had gotten out for free--not to mention alive. He took her reins and slowly eased himself into the saddle. He leaned forward for a few seconds, contemplating what to do next.

He sat up straight and backed the horse up, then trotted down the street. He looked around the town. He hadn't realized it when he'd ridden in half-dead, but this was the town.

He made it to the woman's town.

He didn't recall the name…He hadn't looked the first time he was there, or when he came in the week before.

He rode up the street before finding a hotel. Not the best and brightest, but at least he could afford a room there for a while.

The truth was that he hadn't thought about what he'd do when he actually got to the town. In the week he'd been stuck to that bed at Doc Richmond's, he had thought about it, though.

First, he had to get a hotel room.

And that was all he had.

He figured maybe he could find little jobs in this town or in neighboring ones and make enough money to buy a tent and supplies. He'd rather camp than stay at a room, as strange as it sounded.

The bandits who robbed him didn't take all of his money, and he had enough to get by for a little while.

* * *

The next day, he took his horse out of the stable she'd been at all night. She didn't seem to mind the other horses--in fact, she enjoyed the company--but she didn't like it when he left. 

That was why she made such a fuss for the stable boy, and the was very verbal--whinnying and neighing and snorting--when he showed up. She refused to listen to him at first, but he soon had control over her again.

He figured she felt he betrayed her for leaving.

He kind of understood…Betrayal was nothing he'd never felt before.

He rode her around town and around the outskirts of the town. _Wolf Creek,_ it was called. He rode back into town and stopped in front of a store, watching the town go by.

He sat on his horse, letting it drink from the trough in front of a candy and food store. He looked up behind him and watched a young woman ride her horse down the road. She had a horse that held itself proudly, just as she did. She trotted down the road in the very middle, and quite a few men on their horses or walking on the road moved out of her way, being sure to steer clear of her.

That was her--that was the woman who was fighting in the street.

"Shouldn't be lookin' at Piper Halliwell that way, Stranger," a man said, coming out of the store. He had a glass in one hand and was cleaning it with a white cloth.

"Oh yeah?" he asked the man. "And why might that be? She certainly is somethin' t' look at."

"She may be, but there's so much danger under that pretty face and sharp attitude… She's a deadly investment, considering she let's you invest."

"Meaning…"

"Meaning that there girl is brining in more money with her ranch than I make--and she's selling _horses_. She's filthy rich…But she protects herself quite well. Take my word for it--she's no lady, just some kinda woman."

"She can't be that bad."

"You'd be surprised. Best to stay away from her."

"I'll take your word for it…" he said absentmindedly, watching her slap the reins of her horse and gallop down the road.

He flicked the mare's reins and gave her a little kick in the flank. "Let's go," he told her sharply. She galloped after Piper Halliwell and her Appaloosa.

She seemed too into speeding off on her horse to notice him trailing behind her. He stayed far enough away and off to the side for her to even be suspicious if she turned around.

He followed her to a house just outside of town, but stayed a good two hundred feet away from her still. When the rode into the barn, he turned his horse away and rode around the fence, a little closer to it now. He found that there was a lot of land that she lived on--or at least he assumed that's where she lived. The house was a good size, and he saw another two barns. Horses dotted the land and grass. He stayed on the outside of the fence and circled the huge ranch. By the time he got back to town, the mare was tired.

He put her up in the stables, ignoring her protests, and went back to the hotel to think.

This was gonna take a while.

* * *

**Ooh...I wonder what happens next...**

**I think I made Leo's horse sound more human than I meant to. Horses have feelings, too, and this one's a _smart _horse to boot.**

**Now click that pretty little box a review, please!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey, people. The only real delay with this chapter was coming up with the people Leo met and when he met them and how old he was...You'll understand later. I had to do some research on the Wild West...**

**Anyway, I don't have much to say, but thanks to:**

**scullymulder1234: **Yay, I updated again! I love horses...A horse is a someone, too, you know! They have feelings! Like, once, this Appaloosa (like Spade, Piper's horse...Only this horse was soooo beautiful!) I was riding literally played a trick on me. She ran in the barn and I went in there to get her, and then she ran off...She faked me out! I chased her for so long! Then when we were riding, I steered her away from this log, and she ignored me and jumped it! Anyway, I'm rambling, so...

**Magical Princess: **Oh, she makes a lot of money off the the horses. When Dan took her money, he took like three hundred dollars, which doesn't sound like much, but in 1832 it was. All together, he actually stole like $1,000 from her, but I don't think I actually wrote that...

**piperleo4eva: **A vewy, vewy smawt horsey!

**AsherSmasher: **Glad you love it...And obviously, the puppy eyes worked, lol.

**melodieeidolem: **Oh, trust me, they'll meet...

**anjana: **I've been picturing Leo in a white or tan Stetson myself...(if you spelled it wrong, then so did I) Oh, and no--Piper wears kind of like what Prue wore in The Good, the Bad, and the Cursed in Season 3. You know, a hat, boots, long coat kind of thing.

**Piper xox Leo: **I'm workin' on it!

* * *

Two days later, he found himself in the saloon. The sheriff was talking to him, asking questions.

"Where'd ya come from?"

"All over…" He figured he needed to get used to talking anyway, so this was…practice. Sure. Practice.

"Like…"

He sighed. "Tennessee, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, New York, Virginia, North and South Carolina, Louisiana, and all over the West."

"You part of a Caravan or something?"

"No."

"Then how'd you travel the country?"

"I uh…I hooked up with Kit Carson about six years back and he led me around…When I was on my own, I stayed in New York a couple weeks, then I followed a woman down south and all over the Carolinas."

"You followed a woman?"

"She was a hell of a woman." He shook his head to himself, almost in disbelief. "I followed her south, then west. She took me from New York to the Georgia to Louisiana…Then we went back up to Tennessee and she stayed there."

"And you?"

"I went to Missouri. Met Jim Bridger along the way, and followed him."

"What about that woman?"

"I came back for her."

"And…?"

"And she followed me to the West."

"So how'd you end up here?"

"Met up with some bandits. They shot me before I could do a thing."

"Think they followed you? I don't want any trouble in my town."

"I doubt they did."

"What about that woman?"

He didn't answer.

The sheriff let it go. "Lookin' t' settle or somethin'?"

He sighed. "Actually, yeah."

* * *

When night came, that woman showed up. Piper Halliwell, he remembered. She sat beside him at the bar. The bartender handed her a drink before she could even ask for one. 

"Thanks, Lee."

"Yep."

Piper took a sip of her drink and looked to her left, where this stranger was sitting. She looked him up and down with her eyes. "Yer that rambler, ain't ya?"

He looked over at the woman. Piper. "Yeah."

"How's yer wounds?"

"I'm fine," he said.

Piper nodded. "You lookin' for a home or somethin'?"

"Not yet."

Piper nodded again. She stuck out her hand. "Name's Piper Halliwell."

He looked down at her hand and shook it. "That's nice."

She smiled. "A sense of humor, eh? I like that."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Where's yer horse now?"

"In a stable."

"Hmm…That's a good stable we got over there…"

"She's just a horse."

"So?"

So that's how it went for the next three hours. He soon found it easy to talk with her, but that could've been the alcohol. 

Either way, he got a small story out of her. She told him a little bit about her parents, but in return, he had to share his past, as well.

"So, yeah, my mom, she died when I was three…" Piper nodded to herself, then motioned for Lee to give her another drink. He handed her another glass of whiskey and she kept talking. The alcohol had been getting to her, and she'd just been rambling on. "'Bout six months after she died, my father left me with the Armstrongs. I've lived with them since them."

"Any relations?"

"No…But Jack and Joanne's daughters are like my sisters, and their son is like my brother…What about you? Any family?"

He abruptly shook his head. "No."

"So, what you were just created? No mother, no father? No brothers or sisters?" Piper asked.

"No. None."

Piper sighed. "Fine, you don't want to talk about them…I don't like talkin' 'bout my dad, either, but I just told you 'bout him…"

"Good for you."

"I miss my mom," Piper said suddenly.

"I miss your mom, too," he replied.

Piper laughed. "Good for you."

His only response was a smile.

Hmm…She liked his smile.

"So tell me more," she said.

"About what?"

"About you. Your past."

"Oh, it's uh…It's not that interesting…"

"Says who--You?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact--Me."

Piper smiled. "Tell me. I told you about my parents…So tell me some of your past."

"That's not a fair trade. You tell me about your parents and I have to tell you my entire past?"

"No, I said 'some'. And besides, it is so. So tell me," Piper said, gesturing in the air.

He sighed. "I was born in Tennessee…"

"And…?"

"And I was on my own when I was seventeen…So I headed west…"

"How old are you?"

"Thirty-five."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "When were you born?"

"Seventeen ninety-seven…You?"

Without missing a beat, Piper answered. "I'm thirty-two--born March fifteenth, eighteen hundred."

He smiled a little.

"Keep going."

"Uh, when I left Tennessee, I went north to Kentucky, then made my way to New York."

"New York?"

"Yes. I got there when I was eighteen."

"That was fast."

He ignored her comments. "From there I went south to the Carolinas, then to Louisiana, then I made my way back to Tennessee."

"Nice…Right back where ya started."

He smiled, but didn't say anything about her comment. "Then I went to Missouri and to the river. On the Missouri River, I met Jim Bridger."

"You did?"

"Yes. He showed me around and he and his team went south toward Texas," he said.

"I never heard of them doing that…"

"That's because no one knew about it. A year later, we were in New Mexico, the Mexican province."

Piper nodded. She took another drink. "Keep going."

He sighed. "We met up with Kit Carson. I left Bridger and went with Carson. He had hooked up with Caravan in Missouri and went south."

"Mmm hmm…Then what?"

"A year after I met Carson, I went back to Tennessee."

"Why?"

"Because…Never mind."

Piper was pretty much drunk. She didn't care that he didn't explain.

"Anyway…I left there and followed the rivers to the Yellowstone. I was uh…Thirty-one…"

"And…?"

"And I met James Beckwourth."

"Nuh uh."

"I did…That was…That was four years ago. We--I…followed him around the Yellowstone River for a couple of years, then we left…"

"We?"

"Me. I said me."

"You said we."

"Never mind."

Piper shrugged. "Fine." She pounded her fist on the counter. "Another drink," she ordered.

"You sure, Piper?" Lee asked her.

Piper nodded curtly. Just give me my drink."

Lee shrugged and handed Piper another drink. She turned back to her stranger. "Go on."

"With what?"

"Your story."

"That's it. That's the end. I went back to Tennessee, then after…" He shook his head. "I ended up here, is all."

"You really like Tennessee, don't you?"

"I was born there."

"So what about your family?"

"I told you I don't got none."

"No mother? No father? No brothers or sisters…"

"Nope."

"Fine. You'll tell me about them sooner or later."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means just how it sounds." Piper smiled. "_Welcome to Wolf Creek!_"

* * *

Two hours later, still at the saloon, Piper called it a night. She had told him all about her, about her mother, her father, her family…And he hadn't said much, he'd just listened. He'd needed to learn about her if he was supposed to help her…However he was supposed to do that. 

"I gotta be going," Piper said. "The Armstrongs will worry about me."

"I'll ride you back."

Piper smiled. "No. I think I can manage."

He nodded.

Piper stood up and put her hat back on. "You never told me your name."

"Leo Wyatt."

"Well, then, Mr. Wyatt. Good to have talked with ya."

Piper shook his hand and left.

Hmm…

Leo Wyatt.

She liked that name.

* * *

**They finally met! Yay!**

**Anyway, like I said in the the Author's Notes at the top of the page, I had to do research. Jim Bridger, James P. Beckwourth, and Kit Carson were real people. Fur trappers, if I remember correctly. And the places Leo met them at and the times he met them are all true places that those people had been, too.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Sorry about the delay, I've forgotten about this fic. (mental slap) Okay, well...Uh, I've got nothing to say, really. A little Piper/Leo here, but no fluff, sorry. Kind of short...Okay really short...But important for the next chapter.**

**NOTE: Phoebe makes a little mention of whores in the first line of the chapter...Know that whores were just an every day thing back then. Well, they are today too...But still. Just know that.**

* * *

scullymulder1234: **At least they met! I'll email you the explanation about the guys Leo met. I don't have the book I got them out from with me.**

anjana: **A better picture of Piper, huh? What does she look like now? Better quetstion: what _did_ she look like?**

Magical Princess: **I'm a good researcher. Also, I need things to be perfect and spelled out when I do something, especially when I write something. I have a whole history for Piper and Leo both.**

patricia: **lol, you don't understand it either?**

Chub: **Yeah, sorry it took so long for them to meet.**

Piper xox Leo: **Wow, haven't heard from you in a while! Yeah, those are real people. Got them out of a Wild West book I got for my dad on his b-day a couple years back...It's really a cool book. I'll have more stuff from it later on, I think. Oh, and I can't really add fluff because I can't really get them together yet. Piper hates men, remember? But don't worry. I'm the Fluff Queen, and I shall come through.**

melodieeidolem: **What a name! A palendrome, like my name! (hannah) I know I took a while to get them together...But at least they DID meet!**

piper+leo4eva: **Your way and everyone else's. Some fluff in this chapter...Drunken fluff, but fluff nonetheless.**

emily: **Who said I was leaving it? You're review kinda scared me, took me off guard. lol I do kick ass!**

* * *

"The town is still buzzing. You're the only one who's talked to that new guy. I heard this group of whores—"

"Phoebe…"

"They were talking about him. One of them—that blonde one who's always messin' around with the bartender's hand—said she'd even drop her rates for him," Phoebe explained.

Piper laughed out loud. "She's only worth a dollar and fifty cents. She's a dollar on Sundays."

"You would know?"

"I spend enough time at the saloon to know."

"Whatcha talkin' 'bout?" Prue asked, coming inside.

"Piper's the first one to talk with that new stranger."

"He's got a name, you know."

"And his name is…"

"Leo. Leo Wyatt. And he knew Kit Carson and Jim Bridger and James Beckwourth, too."

"Of course he did."

"He did!"

"Sounds like you like him," Prue summed up.

"I don't. I hate men. I just wanted to know who this guy was."

"Whatever, Piper."

* * *

Piper and Jacob chased twenty horses down the road through the town. They herded the horses behind a building and into a corral. A man waiting for them closed the gate and locked the horses in the pen.

"Thanks Charlie," Piper said.

"Yup. I'll hold 'em here 'til John Taylor comes for them."

"Right. Thanks."

"Paying him in horses, then?"

"For now…Let me know if Joseph Barnes comes into town, too."

"Owing people money, Piper? That's not like you."

"Just do your job Charlie."

Charlie tipped his hat at Piper. Piper tipped her hat as well and caught Charlie winking at her.

Goddamn men.

Especially Lee's boys. Always making passes at her…

She looked up to see Jacob turn around from giving Charlie a threatening glance. They rode off.

* * *

Okay, so he was a little drunk when he spoke with her at the saloon, but at least she opened up a little. And he did, too.

Leo sighed. This wasn't going to be easy. He didn't even know what he was doing! He didn't even know why he was in Wolf Creek!

He just had to listen to his goddamn heart. And that stupid woman.

Why did she lead him here?

Piper Halliwell…Nice name. She was beautiful, with her chocolate eyes and long dark brown hair. He'd watched her walk a little, and she carried herself proudly. He wasn't about to get in her way, and he didn't think any man was about to dare to, either.

So he knew why she wasn't married from his last visit to the town. She probably didn't trust men anymore after what that What's-His-Name did, taking her money…Great. He had to gain the trust of a woman who didn't trust men.

Wait, what then? What did he do after that?

Leo sighed again. He groaned.

"I know what you're thinking…" a voice whispered.

"Go away," he ordered.

"No," she said stubbornly. "You are wondering what to do next."

He nodded, knowing she wouldn't go away until she told him what she wanted him to know.

"Well…" The woman walked over to him. He was sitting on the edge of the bed and she stood in front of him and leaned down to rest her forehead against his. "It's easy."

He laughed. "Right. What is?"

"Okay, so it won't be easy…But it's as simple as this…"

"As what?"

She smiled. "You have to make her fall in love with you."

He groaned. "Son of a bitch…"

* * *

"Son of a bitch!" Piper cried as she fell backward. Leo caught her from under her arms and they laughed while the shot of the gun she'd fired echoed around them. He lowered her to the ground and she lay on her back with the gun across her chest and laughed.

"What? I told you it had a hell of a recoil!"

Piper was a little bit drunk again. She'd been drinking a lot lately, actually, but she didn't seem to mind, and neither did anyone else.

Leo was a little drunk, too. And he had a shotgun. One that Piper had always wanted to shoot.

He'd kept in mind what he'd been told, to make Piper fall in love with him. He wasn't sure how that was supposed to be done…Didn't _he_ have to love _her_ first?

Oh well. For now they were drunk. And they had guns. You don't need love with whiskey and weapons.

Leo took his gun away from Piper, leaving her the flask of whiskey. "Enough firing for you."

"Fine, fine. Whatever." Piper waved her hand at Leo. "So why are you here?" she asked.

Leo looked up. "Me? I'm…here on a mission."

"Mission? Like with the army?"

He chuckled and shook his head. "No…"

"So why _are_ you here?"

Leo sat on the ground beside Piper. "I was…sent here…"

"Sent by…"

"My dead wife."

Piper was silent for a few seconds. "…Oh."

They were both quiet then. The silence was overwhelming. Neither of them moved for a long time, the only noises in the dark consisting of crickets buzzing and their two horses snorting and pawing the ground. Wind blew the trees, causing the leaves to rustle. Piper took another drink of whiskey, and offered the bottle to Leo silently, not knowing what to say.

She was silent out of respect and confusion. How was someone sent on a mission by a dead person?

He took the alcohol gratefully. God, it was so much easier to talk when he was drunk. He didn't know why he'd said it, why he'd told her that. It just…slipped.

Finally, Piper said, "I'm sorry I asked."

He nodded to acknowledge the fact that he heard her speaking.

"But…" She sighed. "What happened?"

Leo, who had been staring at the ground, looked up at the clear sky, dotted with thousands of lit up stars and a bright full moon. Even though it was dark out, the moon lit up the valley they had ridden to.

He supposed he'd walked right into this…They'd met again in town and when she'd seen his shotgun she'd said she wanted to shoot it, and he couldn't turn her down.

And now he wished he did.

* * *

**Now you know who that woman who kept appearing is. Leo's wife. The next chapter will start up right where this left off. And it'll explain Leo's past a little.**


	13. Chapter 13

**It's been so long, way too long. I'm working through this, trying to make a clearer plan. I think I've got it, but there are still some bumps to smooth out in this story, like Leo's attitude. I'm gonna make him egotistical and...yeah...in a few chapters. He'll like...totally be the reverse of himself!**

* * *

**piper+leo4eva: I knew you knew who it was, because you said something about it in Always. There's more explanation of Leo's life with her in this chapter. BTW, I think I've dammed up the river...for now. (nervous laugh) I was on a roll writing the other night, but the roll of ideas pouring out of my head started at 9pm and continued well into 11pm. I would've kept going if my mom hadn't made me go to bed (school night). I was mad at my mom for breaking my idea...waterfall. I swear, my mind was the Niagara Falls of Ideas that night!**

**patricia: o0o0o But you did wait for the update, didn't you?**

**scullymulder: Dum dum dum what? Did I say that? Huh? I'm confused!**

**Piper xox Leo: HER wife? What?**

**Chub: Don't worry about them. I've got it all covered...**

* * *

After a few more moments of silence, painfully silent moments, Piper took another swig of whiskey and sighed. Okay, her curiosity was peaked now. 

How did a dead wife send her husband on a mission?

"So, uh…What kind of mission?"

Leo shrugged. He wasn't thinking about that, he was still regretting saying what he'd said.

"This is gonna sound harsh…" Piper said. She shrugged slightly, feeling the affects of the alcohol now. "How did your dead wife send you here?"

Leo shrugged again. He looked over at Piper and they started chuckling, then laughing.

"I'm serious," Piper said suddenly.

Leo was quiet as he thought for a moment. He sighed before saying, "I'm not sure, really. She's been…haunting me…ever since she died."

Piper nodded a little. "Oh…How long?"

"A while. Less than a year, but…"

"What happened?" Piper asked unexpectedly.

Leo looked up, startled by her question. Normally, he wouldn't have said anything. He would've gotten his horse and left. And he would've taken the whiskey with him. But they drank most of it that night, and thanks to that damn alcohol, he found himself spilling the whole tragic story to her, this woman he'd never met but was "supposed" to love.

Desperado

Why don't you come to your senses?  
You been out ridin' fences for so long now  
Oh, you're a hard one  
But I know that you got your reasons  
These things that are pleasin' you  
Can hurt you somehow

He sighed and ran a hand down his face, collecting his thoughts. "'Bout…five years ago…I met this girl at a saloon in Tennessee. We were both drunk, and I followed her back to her home…" He laughed quietly to himself. "Followed her right up to the door then she shut it in my face."

Piper laughed, then covered her mouth with her hand to shut herself up.

Leo continued. "I saw her the next day and got her to come with me to this little clearing in this valley, really beautiful spot…She loved it, thought it was beautiful. This…creek and a pond running through the valley…"

"It sounds perfect."

Leo nodded. "It was."

Don't you draw the Queen of Diamonds, boy  
She'll beat you if she's able  
You know the Queen of Hearts

Is always your best bet

"I followed her home again and she didn't let me in again…I went back to the clearing the next day and found her there. I, uh…won't go into detail, but…she let me in that night, and we got closer since then…Half a year later we got married and traveled around the country, went back to Tennessee, then back around the West…She always wanted to see New York City, so we had to go. I followed her south from there back to Tennessee and she followed me West.

"We were camping in Indian Territory, close to some Sioux Indians…We weren't worried about then, they were friendly, but we'd seen a few bodies off the trail and just decided to be careful. We made it to a town where I found my family—my father, brother, and cousin, really—"

"I knew you had family."

Now it seems to me some fine things  
Have been laid upon your table  
But you only want the ones

That you can't get

Leo shrugged. "They offered us a place to stay for the night but we'd gotten accustomed to sleeping in a camp and declined…Middle of the night, heard shots…" He shook his head, tears lining his eyes. "Don't remember much…I remember I killed three people that night."

Piper said she could understand that.

Leo said she couldn't.

Piper was silent.

Desperado

Oh, you ain't gettin' no younger  
Your pain and your hunger

They're drivin' you home  
And freedom? Oh, freedom

Well, that's just some people talkin'  
Your prison is walking through this world all alone

"The, uh…townspeople…wanted to bury her in their cemetery, but I wrapped her body up and took her back to Tennessee. She'd told me that she wanted to be buried in that clearing, and I promised her I would bury her there. I haven't been back there in a long while…"

Piper watched Leo fight tears and found herself struggling as well. She gulped. "And she's been…haunting you?"

Leo nodded. "Appearing…Disappearing…I never believed in…spirits or ghosts until now."

"She sent you here?"

"Yep."

"How?"

"She…appeared one night…and told me I needed to come back here."

"Back? I've lived here all my life and I've never seen you before."

"I was here for supplies."

"So you're…roaming."

"Yeah."

"Desperado," she accused.

Don't your feet get cold in the winter time?  
The sky won't snow and the sun won't shine  
It's hard to tell the nighttime from the day  
You're losin' all your highs and lows  
Ain't it funny how the feeling goes away?

Leo looked at Piper. "What?"

"Desperado. You're almost like a desperado."

Leo blinked. "How?"

Piper smiled. "Never mind." She shook her head lightly.

"How?" Leo repeated.

"Never mind, I'll explain later."

"No, no, no, explain now. I'm not an…outlaw or a criminal."

"Aren't you?"

Leo blinked. "No."

Piper sighed. She sat up better on the ground. "Who said you had to be a criminal to be a desperado? I never accused you of any crime but living."

_Desperado _

Why don't you come to your senses?  
Come down from your fences, open the gate  
It may be rainin', but there's a rainbow above you  
You better let somebody love you

You better let somebody love you…

Before it's too late

"Maybe that's my crime then, huh?"

Piper felt tears threatening her again. She sighed deeply. He was in no better state than her. Why was she fighting tears about his dead wife?

"Maybe we…should go back."

Leo laid back in the grass and stretched out, resting his hands under his head. "No…"

"No?"

"I can just camp here."

"With what?"

Leo didn't answer.

Piper almost laughed. "You know…since you're staying in town…we should build you a house."

Leo chuckled.

Piper crawled over to him. "What?"

Her face was hovering above his, her hair falling over one side of her head onto his chest.

"Nothing…It's just a funny idea."

"How is that a funny idea?" Piper questioned, sitting back. She took another swig of whiskey.

"I haven't had a house since…" Leo trailed off. "…In a while," he recovered.

Piper nodded. "Oh. Well, then we'll get you one."

"No."

"No?"

"No."

Piper shrugged. "What do I care, I'm drunk."

"I'll just camp."

"Camp, why?"

"Because I'm good at that."

"Fine. Be difficult."

* * *

**The song was "Desperado" (was is obvious?), by The Eagles. It's one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite bands!**

**I was originally going to make Piper force Leo into building a house, but that didn't seem to fit into his...style. lol. He's gonna camp out for a while, get to know the town. And Piper's going to break him down, don't worry...Actually, ya know what? Worry! lol. He's got some fears to face then Piper's got some to face, too.**

**Don't forget to drop a review!**


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